


Someone Who Cares

by lenasmagic (dimensionhoppingrose)



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Slice of Life, Weblena Week 2020, Will add more tags as necessary etc., baby ducks in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:26:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26451073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimensionhoppingrose/pseuds/lenasmagic
Summary: Weblena Week 2020 Prompts!Day 1 - Guardian: Lena tries to protect Webby when she can. She's just not always smart about it.Day 2 - Token of Friendship: Lena and Webby develop a tradition.Day 4 - AU: Dogs are a great way to meet girlsDay 5 - Glowy Stars: Webby and Lena tell a storyDay 6 - You're Good Enough: Violet gives Lena a pep talk
Relationships: Lena (Disney: DuckTales) & Violet Sabrewing, Lena (Disney: DuckTales) & Webby Vanderquack, Lena (Disney: DuckTales)/Webby Vanderquack
Comments: 26
Kudos: 111





	1. Guardian

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing like a little Weblena Week to kick me into writing something. I can't promise these will be long or anything that impressive, but... I'm trying!

Calling herself Webby’s guardian angel was a bit of a stretch for multiple reasons, mainly because, while Lena was a lot of things, she was absolutely not an angel.

She’d spent six months in Webby’s shadow, watching over and over while she went with Scrooge and the boys to do some stupid life-threatening thing or another. The worst place had probably been that stupid town where they met Donald’s college friends. Lena had spent half the day _screaming_ in Webby’s ear that _nothing was real_ and _how are you not seeing this_ and _FEED THE BOYS TO THE PLANT AND RUN_.

So yeah, protecting Webby? Not something she had the best record with. She hadn’t been able to stop Magica from returning, had _barely_ stopped her from killing Webby, and then spent six months uselessly watching Webby almost stupidly die over and over.

It was something she was determined to make up for when she finally had a body back. And of course she had almost immediately messed up, but in her defense, it was at least partially Magica’s fault. Most things were her fault, though.

There were plenty of ways to take care of the sometimes oblivious duckling, though. Like pulling her out of the way of a car when she was too focused on something to notice that the crossing signal was red — something Lena did at least once every time they were out. Or gently steering her (and Violet) away from Indy when the magic talk started getting too intense (Ty was forever grateful that his magically inclined daughter had a bit more of a realistic view than the rest of his family). Tucking her in when she fell asleep on the floor, sprawled out — that was Lena’s favorite thing to do, although she’d never admit it. She had seen Webby fall asleep at her desk so many times, head pillowed on books about shadow magic; she would have given anything to just be able to drape a blanket over her shoulders. Now she could, and she took advantage of it whenever she could.

She caught Violet staring unashamedly at her one night during a sleepover, as she carefully threw a blanket over Webby and made sure she was comfortable.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t _nothing_ me. I know that look, Vi.”

Violet raised an eyebrow. “It’s one of those things you always tell me not to talk about.”

Of course it was. “Spit it out.”

“I’ve simply noticed that you tend to be a bit more… tender with Webigail than you are are with anyone else. Overall you’re far more affectionate with her, but there are things you do—”

“You’re right, don’t want you to talk about it,” Lena said quickly, crawling into her sleeping bag and hiding her head. She could almost _hear_ Violet’s eyes rolling.

“It’s interesting,” she continued, ignoring Lena’s protests. “Of everyone, you’re not the one I would suspect of having a savior complex. Dewford would be a more likely candidate, although I suppose that would partially be born from his insecurities of not living up to his mother and great-uncle and being lost between his brothers—”

“Do you just spend all of your time psycho-analyzing us?” Lena hissed, sticking her head out of her sleeping bag to glare at her sister.

“Not _all_ of my time. That wouldn’t be productive.”

Lena sighed loudly, shaking her head. “Do we need to talk about you not treating your friends like experiments again?”

“That’s not what this is,” Violet protested. “I can’t help that you openly display your need to take care of her. Even the boys have noticed.”

“I do not — wait, what?” Lena blinked a few times, staring at her sister. “The boys have noticed _what_?”

Violet shook her head. “I’m going to sleep,” she informed Lena, crawling into her sleeping bag and ignoring the death glare she knew Lena had fixed on her back.

* * *

Sometimes, Lena could be convinced to join the family on an adventure. Usually if Scrooge via Webby asked because there was a possibility of magic shenanigans.

“A _haunted mansion_. How cool is that?”

“You literally live in a haunted mansion,” Lena said without looking up from her phone. “A _ghost_ opens the door for visitors.”

“Yeah but Duckworth isn’t scary — usually,” Webby corrected herself, trying not to smile. “But this place could have really violent spirits!”

She sounded so thrilled by the prospect. “Okay,” Lena relented, sighing. Because someone needed to protect Webby from herself.

Also, it would be funny to see how the triplets reacted. She texted Violet as they boarded the plane.

_Going to a haunted mansion. Bets on Huey crying into his JWG, Dewey charging in and trying to hit something, and Louie throwing Huey in front of him like a shield?_

Violet replied right before Lena lost her signal. _That’s a fool’s bet_.

Scrooge was lecturing the kids on whatever “priceless artifact” they were going to retrieve (how many priceless objects could there be before the word lost all meaning?), and Lena pulled up one of her mind-numbing games to pass the time. It was about three hours away, and Della was piloting, so Lena assumed there wouldn’t be any delays for crashing shenanigans.

“Aye, Lena,” Scrooge grumbled at her, giving her a frown. “You’ll want to pay attention. This is important.”

“I’m just here to make sure no one trips anything magical and dies or lets a demon out. No history lesson required.”

Webby giggled, and Della coughed to hide a laugh. Scrooge looked over his shoulder to glare at his niece, grumbling about impatient teenagers and their lack of appreciation for something something something.

* * *

The house definitely advertised _haunted_. Broken windows, old and rotting wood, and Huey’s foot went through the porch when they made their way to the front door.

“This is _not_ structurally sound,” he said as Webby and Lena helped him out.

“You kids stick to the first floor for now, and step lightly,” Scrooge said, nudging the door open with his cane. “Della and I will take the second floor.”

“Just because I have one less leg to break doesn’t mean I want to risk falling through the floor,” Della protested, but she followed Scrooge gingerly up the stairs nevertheless. The kids exchanged looks, and Lena raised her hand; a small, purple light flickered to life, raising to light their path.

“Isn’t this how horror movies start?” Louie asked.

“Funny guy goes first,” Lena said over her shoulder — the boys had fallen behind, letting Webby and Lena lead.

“I dare ‘em to try,” Dewey said, and presumably jumped once, if the creaking of the old floor was anything to go by.

“ _Dewey_!” they all reprimanded him. He smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry.”

After half an hour, Lena was ready to throw in the towel. All they’d found so far was enough dust to keep their allergies active for the next month.

“Okay, this is dumb, let’s just—”

A plate flew passed them, hitting the wall behind their heads. They screamed in unison, jumping away. “I’m… sure there’s a logical explanation for that,” Huey said weakly.

“Oh, absolutely, no doubt,” Lena replied with thinly veiled sarcasm. “Plenty of reasons for plates to just—”

This time it was a chair that came hurtling at them. They dove out of the way, some variation of “Uncle Scrooge!” and “Mom!” being screamed as they ran.

“Why do they always throw furniture?!” Louie yelled as Lena shielded them from being hit by a table.

“What are _you_ complaining about? Just keep running!”

Huey was flipping furiously through his guidebook. “O-Okay, violent spirits! The guide says—”

“ _Not now, Huey!_ ” everyone yelled in one voice. They whipped around a corner, into another room, barely missing whatever the spirit had thrown at them.

Lena would never be able to explain the next few seconds, no matter how hard she tried. The floor under her foot felt… not _softer_ , exactly. Weaker? But she had no idea how she registered and reacted to it within the short timeframe. Magic, maybe.

Everything was in slow motion. She saw Webby beside her, eyes widening as she realized what was happening. She felt herself moving, saw the purple blast of light as she knocked Webby off to the side, away from the forming hole beneath their feet…

And she fell.

She managed to cushion herself, somewhat, but concrete was concrete. Her head smacked against the floor, bringing stars to life before her eyes. She blinked rapidly, groaning and trying to stay conscious. A fight she ultimately lost.

* * *

“Hey, I think she’s waking up.”

“Lena? Can you hear us?”

“Don’t move her too much. The guidebook says—”

“Huey, you’ve read the entry on head injuries _ten times_. I’m going to throw the book out of the airplane if I hear it again.”

“Oi, you lot shush. Let the girl rest.”

“S’fine,” Lena mumbled, forcing her eyes open. It took a few tries to focus and realize she was back on the Sunchaser, covered in a blanket, three anxious boys watching her.

“Are you okay?”

“Does your head hurt?”

“What kind of stupid question is that?”

“Would you lay off?”

“I’m fine,” Lena said quickly, using the wall of the plane to push herself up and rest against. She was sore, and her head hurt, but she still had a physical body. Her standards weren’t that high. “Wait, where’s—”

She looked around quickly to find Webby a few feet away, curled in on herself and staring at the floor. “Webs?” No answer. “Hey, Pink, talk to me. What’s up?” Still nothing. She looked back at the triplets, who shrugged, then at Scrooge, who shook his head.

Thankfully, they were almost back to Duckburg. Lena called Indy and Ty as soon as she had service, getting permission to stay at the manor so they wouldn’t have to know anything about her getting hurt (she healed fast; she might have a headache in the morning, but that would be the worst of it). Where she was going to sleep was questionable, but in the end she simply followed Webby up to her room, waiting for the other girl to speak. She didn’t.

“Okay, I seriously can’t figure out why you’re mad,” Lena finally said when they entered the library. “Can you give me a hint?”

“Why’d you push me away?”

Not the answer Lena had been expecting. “I — what? _Huh_?”

Webby turned to look at her, tears in her eyes. “You pushed me out of the way when the floor broke.”

“You’re mad about _that_? I was trying to protect you!”

“You could’ve saved yourself too!” It was the closest Webby had ever come to yelling at Lena. “Did you even think about that?”

 _Not really_. “I… does it matter? I heal, this is nothing—”

“That’s not the point!” Webby threw her hands up. “I don’t care if you’re invulnerable, you still don’t let yourself fall if you don’t have to!”

“Are you _serious_?” Lena asked in disbelief. “You do life-threatening things _all the time_ , and you’re mad at _me_ for a freak accident?”

“I just want you to care about yourself! Why do you always do this?”

“Do what?”

“Act like… _this_!” Webby gestured wildly, as if that summed it up. “You always put everyone else before you, you try to deal with things on your own, you… you… _sacrifice_ yourself—”

“I don’t _sacrifice_ myself, don’t make it sound so dramatic.”

“Then what did you do tonight?!”

Lena deflated slightly, wilting back from Webby, who was now crying openly. “I was… I was just trying to protect you.”

“I don’t need you to protect _me_ , Lena.” Webby’s voice cracked. “I need you to protect _yourself_. Why do you always put yourself last?”

 _Because I wasted six months watching you almost die, and I can finally do something about it when I’m there. Because I heal faster and I’m harder to kill. Because you’re more important_.

She couldn’t say any of that out loud.

Instead, she sank down to sit on the floor, legs crossing under herself. “I dunno, Webs,” she said quietly. Webby stepped closer, slowly sinking down until they were eye level.

“I need you to protect yourself,” she said again, quieter. “ _Please_ , Lena.”

It was such a quiet, feeble request that Lena couldn’t say anything except, “Okay,” before holding out her arms. Webby threw herself into them, somewhat mindful of Lena’s aching body as they clung to each other.


	2. Token of Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Webby and Lena develop a tradition

It started with the friendship bracelets.

That was the first thing that had really been Lena’s — not stolen like her clothes, or owned like her body — and getting rid of it had hurt more than she could ever say. She told Webby the truth about what had happened to it the night they brought her back, and she’d had a new one by the next morning.

Not that Lena _needed_ tangible proof of their friendship. They had proven to each other, and to themselves, that they really were best friends. It was an odd friendship, which transcended the line between the real world and the Shadow Realm, but it was theirs, and and they were happy.

Lena spent weeks agonizing over what to get Webby when her first Christmas came around — and first Hannukah, but that was a Sabrewing family thing, and she had a lot more help in that department. Asking people asking for advice on what to get Webby just felt… wrong. Like she should already know the perfect gift. Or maybe she would know it when she saw it.

“That’s completely illogical,” Violet pointed out when Lena voiced that thought while they wandered through the packed mall, tinny Christmas music playing overhead. “If you would just be willing to listen, I could offer several ideas—”

“I don’t want to just get what other people tell me to get.” Lena groaned, raking her fingers through her hair. “I want it to be special.”

“Ah. This is fueled by your romantic feelings for Webigail.”

“What? They’re — they — I — shut up!” Lena sputtered, her face burning red. “It’s not like _that_. Do you have _anything_ better to do with your time than watch me and Webby?”

“Yes. I’ve also spent a fair amount of time watching Huey and Boyd.”

“Please stop.”

They passed a window display, and Lena stopped, eyes wide as she peered in. Violet went another few feet before realizing she had lost her sister. “Lena?” She stopped to look back, raising an eyebrow. Lena was grinning.

“I told you I’d know it when I saw it,” was all she said before she ran into the store.

* * *

Lena spent Christmas Eve at the manor, heading over a bit late after the menorah lighting. In all honesty, it had been tempting to tell Webby she’d just go over in the morning — the Sabrewing living room was always so warm and comfy, and they’d built a blanket fort. But she knew she wouldn’t wake up on time to get over there for presents, and she _really_ wanted Webby to see what she had gotten her.

So she walked to the mansion, declining Ty’s offers for a ride (it was cold, but not snowing, and Indy was using him as a pillow), and arriving a little after nine, yawning when Beakley opened the door.

“Hey Colonel — what _happened_?” Lena cut herself off, looking around Beakley and seeing the remains of what had probably been a great Christmas party until an unwanted guest crashed it.

“Santa Claus,” was all Beakley said with a heavy sigh. Webby immediately abandoned her broom when she saw Lena, running over to hug her.

“Merry Christmas!”

“Is this… a normal Christmas for you guys?”

“Oh, yeah, totally. Dewey _time traveled_ last year and we met the Christmas spirits.”

“Wait, Dewey time traveled?” Della asked, looking up from the vase she was cleaning up. “ _Wait_ — Bluey!”

“Are you just figuring that out?” Donald grumbled at his sister. Lena raised an eyebrow at Webby, who shrugged.

“Long story. Come on!”

She dragged Lena toward the stairs, ignoring the bits and pieces and broken stuff. “Hey, you’re supposed to be helping!” Huey protested.

“Most of this is because of that bomb you set off!” Dewey added.

“ _Bomb_?”

“Hey, I saved Christmas!” Webby yelled over her shoulder before they disappeared onto the second floor, leaving the grumbling boys behind.

 _“Bomb?_ ” Lena repeated pointedly.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

* * *

Thankfully, Christmas day and present opening went by without any more explosives. Lena had managed to scrounge up enough money to get everyone a present. Even if they weren’t all that great, everyone seemed to like what she had gotten them. Or they were being nice.

She was bouncing anxiously as she finally presented Webby with her own present — a small box. Webby looked giddy. “Oooooooh!” She unwrapped it quickly, opening the box, and tilting her head when she saw the small charms — a sword, a shield, a star, and a heart.

“They’re charms for your bracelet,” Lena explained in a rush, suddenly feeling stupid. This had been _such_ a dumb idea, what was she thinking? She couldn’t believe she’d thought Webby would like—

The train of thought was cut off by Webby tackling her. “That’s _so cool_!” she squealed, squeezing Lena tight. “Help me get them on?”

And that was how the charms became their tradition. For Lena’s birthday (which everyone insisted on celebrating for some reason), Webby got her a cake, a shooting star, a shield, and a cat. Four, so they both had the same number.

“Why the shield?” Lena asked later. She knew why _she_ had gotten Webby a shield — because Webby was a fighter, and a protector. Webby grinned back.

“Because we take care of each other. Right?”

Lena would never admit there were tears in her eyes when Webby said that. She hugged Webby to hide her face and discreetly wipe her eyes.

And their collection grew. Lena got Webby a skull one year, which she thought was awesome and put it right next to the heart. Webby bought Lena a broomstick when she turned sixteen and started learning to drive. Lena bought her an airplane in return (because of _course_ Webby wanted to learn how to pilot an airplane). Lena made her a small, beaded charm with one pink bead and one green bead to complement her bracelet when she asked Webby out for the first time. Webby had gifted her with a purple and green beaded charm when they actually went on their first date.

Violet admitted it was cute. The boys declared that it was too sappy. All four of them were gifted with their own charms so they wouldn’t feel left out — Violet and Huey got books, Dewey a row of three stars with a bigger one in the middle and two small ones on either side, and Louie a dollar sign. Louie vehemently pretended not to like it even as he attempted to hook it onto his bracelet. Dewey was openly crying. Huey was surprised to be let into their Thing. And Violet simply smiled as she got hers onto her bracelet and went back to her book.

* * *

“Are you still not done? Aren’t you supposed to pick up Webigail in ten minutes?”

“I’m always late, she’s used to it,” Lena grumbled, leaning over so her hair was falling forward, framing her face. She had… carefully started growing it out a couple years ago, when she was seventeen and the trauma from Aunt Magica felt more like a distant memory. At first she’d been terrified that letting her hair get longer would make her look too much like Magica. But it didn’t, and she’d come to realize she _liked_ the long hair. Especially when Webby braided it. So she’d let it go, learning to magically change her pink strip of hair different colors. She favored blue, although she’d never admit it to Dewey, and was also fond of purple, especially for family night stuff. It was pink today, though. That was Webby’s favorite.

“You know it’s going to be fine, right?”

“Yup.”

“Are you sure? You don’t sound very confident.”

“Totally, Super confident. Ms. Confidence right here.” Lena finally finished, tucking the gift away in the box and slipping it into her pocket as she stood. “I’m out, see you later.”

“Don’t leave Papa and Dad waiting,” Violet said as Lena grabbed her in a quick hug. “They’ll want to know as soon as possible.”

“Oh, is it _just_ Indy and Ty you’re worried about?” Lena teased. “You don’t want to know at all for your own peace of mind?”

“I’m confident it will work out in your favor,” Violet assured her with one of her rare, genuine smiles. Lena took a deep breath and grinned back.

“Yeah. It will.”

* * *

They were walking along the beach, where most of their dates ended. The amphitheatre was gone, purchased several years ago by Scrooge and immediately demolished.

“It was an eyesore,” he’d said simply when asked, but everyone suspected he’d done it to save Lena from some of her bad memories. Lena had appreciated it. And it _did_ make the view a lot prettier.

“Oooooh, a shooting star!” Webby said, bouncing. “Make a wish!”

Lena looked up, watching the star streak across the sky. “What’d you wish for?”

“I can’t tell you that, it won’t come true!”

“That’s not how it works,” Lena teased. “Besides, if you tell me, I might be able to make it come true.”

Webby stuck her tongue out. “Nope. I’ll wait for the universe, thank you very much.”

“Nerd.”

Webby shouldered her, giggling, and Lena laughed. It was now or never, she realized. “Hey.” She tugged Webby to a stop, slipping her hand into her pocket.

“What’s up?”

“I… well.” She slid the box out of her pocket. Webby tilted her head. They both knew what came in small boxes. “I… kinda like you.”

“Oh good, I kinda like you too.”

Lena coughed, trying not to laugh. “And we’ve been together for a long time. And I’d like to be together for a lot longer. So…” She handed the box over, waiting for Webby to open it. “Will you marry me?”

It was a small, handmade charm, with a ring and a heart attached to each other, small blue stones outlined the charm, and there was a faint magic radiating off of it. Webby stared at it, wide-eyed, and raised her gaze to stare at Lena in shock. “It um… it does have some magic. Nothing intense! It’s like, a lowkey protection spell, but I can take it off if you’re not comfortable with it! Or if you don’t want to… to…”

She was cut off by Webby tackling her, sending them both tumbling to the ground. They laughed, ignoring the sand, and Webby hugged her tight, kissing her forehead. “ _Yes_ , you beautiful idiot, yes, yes, yes! Did you _make_ this? It’s amazing! Will you teach me how to make something so I can make one for you?”

Lena stared up at her, eyes sparkling with wonder. She really did love this girl.

They sat up, and Lena helped Webby attach the charm to her bracelet. It had a faint glow in the moonlight, mesmerizing Webby. The smaller girl snuggled into Lena’s lap, arms wrapping around her.

“I love you,” she whispered into Lena’s shoulder. Lena would never get tired of hearing that.

“I love you too.”


	3. AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dogs are a great way to meet girls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm cheating a little - this is the first chapter of an AU I've been working on for a *while*. But it's fun!

Webby Vanderquack sighed, resting her cheek in her hand. The boys were in detention _again_ , and Violet was off at her tutoring job, leaving Webby alone to wait for the triplets. She _could_ go home, she supposed, but it was kind of awkward to go without them when they lived in the same place. Besides, what would she do? Everything was boring without company.

She checked her phone, finding a text from Huey. _Louie tried to escape. Mrs. Quackfaster added another half hour_.

That sounded right for Louie. She put her phone back in her bag, staring at ground. She had _told_ them putting turtles in all the toilets was a stupid idea and of course they would get caught — all it took was finding Dewey in the first floor boys’ bathroom, and the entire staff knew his brothers would be found in similar positions.

 _How was putting turtles in toilets even a good prank?_ Webby wondered, staring at the street. _It’s not even clever._

A bark caught her attention, and she looked to see a border collie with black and tan and white fur running toward her on stubby little legs. She immediately lit up.

“Aw, you’re _cute_!”

She bounded off the steps, meeting the border collie on the sidewalk. “Hey there boy,” she says happily, scritching the dog’s ears. “Who do you belong to?”

“That’s me,” a voice spoke up, and Webby looked up to see a girl with pink hair and a striped sweater jogging across the street. “C’mere you ridiculous dog.”

The dog’s tail wagged, and it barked again, running back to its owner. She smiled, petting his head.

_Oh, she’s cute._

Webby blushed, ducking her head and shoving the thought down. “Um, hi.” Her voice cracked. “Your dog’s cute.”

The girl gave Webby a slight smirk. “Thanks. He’s good for picking up girls.” Webby was pretty sure her feathers had caught fire. The girl laughed. “He wasn’t bothering you, was he?”

“ _Nope_.” Her voice hopped up three notches. “He’s uh… he’s very cute. What’s his name?”

“Chip.” The girl straightened up. “And I’m Lena. Not that you asked.”

And now her brain was on fire. Webby.exe had _crashed_. “Oh! Um! I mean, yeah, of course I want to know your name, I’m sorry, what’s your — oh, I guess you just — Lena’s a great name! So is Chip! You both have great names!”

The girl held up a hand. “Ooooookay, chill out Pink. I was kidding.”

“Oh! Right, of course.” _Pink_. Lena had called her Pink. “Oh! I’m Webby.”

Chip barked, and Lena rolled her eyes, covering his muzzle. “He always has to be the center of attention.”

“Can I pet him?”

“He’d be insulted if you didn’t.”

Webby giggled, petting the dog again. “He’s so _cute_.”

“He is until he sleeps on your chest. Big lug.” Chip grumbled, as if he understood that Lena was making fun of him. “He thinks he’s so smart, too. I turned my back for a second, he saw someone who wasn’t giving him attention, and he was off. If a hand isn’t petting him, it’s a hand wasted.”

Chip chose that moment to jump on Webby, catching her by surprise and knocking her over. “Chip! Down!” Lena shook her head, exasperated. “I swear, he’s never like this. He must like you.”

“It’s okay.” Webby cuddled the dog, pleased that he seemed to like her so much. “Dogs are really good judges of character, you know.”

“So I’ve heard,” Lena said, gently taking the dog’s collar and pulling him away. “Come on you big old brat. Webby doesn’t want you squishing her.”

Webby actually didn’t mind, as it gave her a good reason to hide her still flushed face, but Chip moved obediently, settling next to Lena and bouncing. She pet him his head, sighing fondly. “How long have you had him?” Webby asked, tilting her head.

“Oh… how old are you, old man?” Lena looked down at the dog. “I got him when he was a puppy, I was four or five… he’s nine or ten, something like that.”

“He looks good for an old man.” Chip gave Webby a happy bark, wagging his tail. “Does… Does he understand me?”

“He understands _good_ and assumes it’s always about him.” Lena rolled her eyes. “My sister spoils the hell out of him.”

“Well, he seems like a _great_ boy to me.”

“Careful, the compliments might go to his head.”

Chip nudged her hand, huffing, and Lena rolled her eyes, scritching his head.

“Webby!”

They looked around as the triplets hopped down the school steps, bags bouncing on their shoulders. “We’re free!” Dewey said happily, coming to a stop next to Webby.

“Who’re you?” Louie asked, raising an eyebrow at Lena.

“Isn’t there a leash law?” Huey added, looking at Chip.

“Aren’t you a bucket of fun.” Lena rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t usually leave my side, it’s fine. And I’m Lena. What’re you three, a copy machine malfunction?”

Webby coughed, trying to hide a laugh. “Lena, this is Huey, Dewey, and Louie. They’re… kind of like my brothers, I guess. Guys, this is Lena, and this is—”

“Killer,” Lena spoke up, and Webby looked back, confused.

“I thought it was a Chip?”

Lena shrugged. “He has a lot of names.”

“He definitely doesn’t look like a Killer,” Dewey pointed out. The dog immediately growled at him, and Lena patted his head placatingly.

“Yes, buddy, we all know how terrifying and vicious you are, don’t worry.” She pulled out her phone, frowning.

“Sooooo are you new or something?” Huey cocked his head. It was a small school in a small town. They knew everyone.

“Not really. My family’s lived on the edge of town for years. We’re just homeschooled.”

“Wait, like you can go to school in your pajamas?” Louie was immediately interested.

“You _know_ Beakley would the one in charge of that and you wouldn’t be allowed to spend all day in your pajamas,” Huey reminded him, and he groaned.

“Right, right.”

Lena’s phone dinged; she quickly dug it out, and grimaced. “I… better get home, actually.”

“Oh.” Webby struggled to keep her disappointment at bay. “Do you uh… wanna hang out sometimes?”

“Um, sure, maybe.” Lena was suddenly distracted as she tapped her phone screen a few times. “I don’t get out much, but I’ll try to catch up with you. I mean, I know where you go to school. You’re not that hard to find. See ya.”

She turned and hurried down the street, Chip/Killer following her. “I don’t like her,” Louie said immediately. Everyone looked at him.

“You’ve known her for like, two minutes.”

“Something _does_ seem kind of off about her,” Huey agreed slowly. “She’s lived here but we’ve never seen her? Do her parents not let her out of the house? Isn’t that a little weird?”

“Do we _really_ know everyone in town?” Webby countered, frowning. “Maybe they just don’t get out much. And think about it for a minute — no one would know your names at all if your uncle didn’t literally own the town.”

“Hey, people know _me_ from my web-series, thank you very much.”

“Nobody watches Dewey Dew-Night,” Louie informed his brother wryly. “You get like, one-hundred hits per video and half of them are you re-watching it.”

“That’s not true!”

Webby sighed, looking off in the direction Lena had gone before heading toward home, the bickering boys following.

_I know where you go to school, you’re not that hard to find._

She really hoped that meant she’d see Lena again.

* * *

The room was dark when Lena toppled through the window, a small Pomeranian clinging to her back. “I think we’re clear, bud—”

The light snapped on. Lena looked up, and groaned. “What, did you guys just sit in the dark this entire time waiting to bust me?”

“I was playing on my phone,” Gos said, waving the her phone in the air. Lena shot her a look, then turned to her mother and stepfather, trying to give them a smile.

“I can explain—”

Morgana held up a finger, silencing her daughter. Lena sighed, leaning against the wall while the Pomeranian crawled into her lap and curled up. “Lena. You _know_ why you’re not allowed out alone—”

“I had Moon with me, I wasn’t alone! What’s the point of having a permanent guardian if you don’t let me _do_ anything?”

“You’re allowed to do plenty,” Drake argued, frowning. “All we ask is that you don’t go out by yourself.”

Lena chased the dog out of her lap; he grumbled, hopping up the stairs to Lena’s bed, and she stood to face her parents. “I’m not a kid anymore. I can protect myself. And Moon can turn into a giant dog if he has to. I’m not defenseless.”

“That’s not—”

Drake rested a hand on Morgana’s shoulder, gently trying to placate her. The arguments between Lena and Morg could get heated in the metaphorical and literal ways; the last thing anyone needed was the attic catching fire. Again.

“Gos can go out alone,” Lena pointed out bitterly. “She doesn’t need a magical guard dog to go to hockey practice.”

“Leave me out of this,” Gos spoke up from her bed. Morgana sighed, moving to kneel in front of Lena and cupping her cheeks.

“You _know_ why I don’t want you wandering out alone. Or just with Moon. Please, Lena… just listen to me. I’m trying to protect you.”

Lena just stared at her mother for a minute before her shoulders fell. “Yeah. I know. I’m sorry.”

Morgana smiled gently, kissing her forehead. “I love you, sweetheart.”

“I know. I love you too.”

It was the best ending Drake could think of. He sighed, watching Morgana caress his step-daughter’s face for a moment before she stood. “Dinner’s in half an hour.”

“Got it.”

Drake held the door open for Morgana, gave the girls a smile, and started down the stairs as well.

“She’s fourteen,” he reminded Morgana gently.

“I’m aware,” Morgana replied simply.

“You can’t keep her locked up alone forever.”

“She’s not alone. She has us, and Gosalyn, and Moon.”

“Morg.”

They stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and Morgana turned to look at Drake. Her calm facade a faded, showing the muted panic in her eyes. “I’m trying to protect her.”

“This isn’t the way to do it.” Drake gestured back at the attic door. “You know she wants more freedom.”

Morgana stared at the wall behind Drake, not answering. It was an ongoing battle in the family, mostly between Morgana and Lena, but it was inevitable that Drake and Gosalyn would be pulled into it. They knew there was no way for anyone to win this fight; all they could do was keep the peace.

Lena climbed up to her bed, collapsing into her pillow. Moon climbed onto her back, settling down. “I told you sneaking out was a bad idea,” Gos said. Lena looked to glare at her. Their beds were built into nooks in the wall, Gosalyn’s bed closest to the floor and Lena’s all the way up the stairs at the top, diagonal with Gos’. Between them were nooks for bookshelves, a couch next to Gos’ bed, and a small nook for Moon to sleep in (although he usually stayed next to Lena’s head).

“Excuse me for wanting freedom.”

“You know Mom worries.”

“Yeah, I _know_.” Lena punched her pillow, sighing. “But it’d be nice to have a _life_ , too. What am I supposed to do, spend the rest of my life hiding from someone who’s dead?”

Gos finally put her phone aside and looked up at Lena. “She’s just scared.”

“So am I!” Lena burst out. “I’m scared all the time! Why do you think I have the stupid magic dog?” Moon huffed. “Oh, shut up. If I can get over it, why can’t she?”

“I’m not sure,” Gos admitted. “She cares about you or something.”

Lena huffed, burying her face in her pillow. Moon licked her cheek, whimpering slightly. “I met this girl,” she said finally. “Moon really liked her.”

“That’s rare.” Moon could play nice, but he hardly _liked_ anyone.

“Yeah. It was kind of funny, though. He just hopped on her like she was some old friend or something.”

“Aaaawwww, Moon.” Gos teased. The dog yawned, nestling down to sleep. Lena sighed, flopping down again to stare at the dog.

She understood why her mother worried, really she did. But she couldn’t stay trapped in the house forever. She wanted _friends_.

She wanted to see Webby again.


	4. Glowy Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Webby and Lena tell a story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was going to skip glowy star day because my brain was like "nope I got nothing" until literally an hour ago when it said "WAIT HERE'S A CUTE IDEA" and now this exists.

“I don’t understand how this is fun.”

“It’s training survival, it’s not supposed to be fun.”

“We’re _camping_!”

There were three types of people. 

Lena wished she could say she didn’t know how she ended up on this Woodchuck trip, but she knew exactly how she got here — because she was soft, and Violet knew how to look cute and guilt trip her. Telling her Webby was going, _and_ that Huey had also recruited his brothers, had made Lena’s choice for her. There was absolutely no way that camping trip wasn’t getting crashed by some mythical creature.

So Lena went. She listened to Huey and Violet take turns telling facts, listened to Dewey’s terrible camping songs, exchanged exasperated looks with Louie, and stole chocolate with Webby because honestly, waiting for Huey and Violet to make a fire so they could roast marshmallows and make s’mores was _so_ not worth it. They all watched, amused, as Huey tried to restrain himself from just taking a _small peek_ at Violet’s _brand new_ _Senior Woodchuck Guidebook_. And they fell asleep watching the stars.

Most of them did, anyway.

“Lena?”

She looked back at Webby, who was sitting up in her sleeping bag, watching her carefully. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Lena returned her gaze to the sky. “Just enjoying the view. Light pollution kind of kills the stars.”

“True.” Webby crawled over to sit on Lena’s sleeping bag with her. “Sometimes, when we come back from adventures, I can watch them from the plane. They’re so pretty.”

“I spent a lot of time in rural parts of Europe. Great for star watching.” Webby looked at her in surprise. She didn’t talk much about pre-Duckburg. “Hey, a shooting star!”

Webby’s eyes snapped back to the sky, watching the white blur streak across the sky. “Make a wish!” she said happily. Lena’s eyes slid to look at the other duckling, taking in the large grin on her beak.

“What’d you wish for?”

“Not telling.”

“Aaaawww.” Lena nudged her, smirking slightly. “Why not? Don’t trust me?”

“Of course I trust you! But if I tell you the wish, it won’t come true.”

“But what if you don’t tell me and then it doesn’t come true anyway? Do you really want to take that risk?”

Webby clearly struggled for a moment, fiddling with her friendship bracelet, before she squared up and shook her head. “ _Nope_. Can’t tell you. It won’t come true.”

“Oh, _fiiiiiiiiiine_.” Lena made a show of sighing and flopping over. Webby laughed, falling on top of her.

“You’re so dramatic sometimes.”

“You clearly haven’t seen Ty or Indy after they watch a sad movie.”

“Would you two go to sleep?” Louie groaned from the other side of the firepit. They fell silent, waiting to make sure he was asleep again.

“I used to make up my own constellations, you know,” Lena finally said. Webby raised her head slightly to look at her friend.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” She gave Webby a slight nudge, and Webby rolled over to rest her head on Lena’s stomach so they were both looking at the sky. “See, that’s…” She raised a hand, using her index finger to trace out a shape. “The star stars. They’re a bunch of small stars that group up and look like one big star. And that’s the star cat, because the stars look like the outline of a cat head.”

Webby giggled as she watched Lena draw out her own constellations. “Oh, look, that one looks like… like…” Shoot, she wasn’t as imaginative as Lena. “A snake?”

Lena’s stomach jumped under Webby’s head as she laughed. “Good first try. Where’s the snake?” Webby showed her, and she squinted for a minute. “I see it. And it looks like the snake has a… rabbit friend, right next to it, see?”

It took a minute, but Webby nodded. “Do you think they’re on an adventure?”

“Totally. They’re…” Lena thought for a moment. “Sneaking into a super secret food basement. I bet the rabbit is really excited.”

“The rabbit is definitely jumping ahead of the snake,” Webby agreed sagely. “It wants to get _all_ the good food.”

“The snake is scared.”

That certainly took a turn. “Why is the snake scared?”

“Because… it was sent there by an evil bat.” Lena eyes found the outline of a bat, which she pointed out to Webby. “The bat is making the snake do something it doesn’t want to do.”

Oh. This was starting to sound familiar. “But the snake isn’t evil like the bat,” Webby spoke up. “Like you said, the snake is scared.”

“The snake is kind of a coward, though. It won’t stand up for itself. And it’s going to hurt the rabbit.”

“But the rabbit trusts the snake. It knows the snake wouldn’t hurt it.”

“But the snake _does_ hurt the rabbit.”

“Maybe a little,” Webby allowed. “But the rabbit knows the snake didn’t mean to hurt it. The snake is the rabbit’s best friend. Also, the snake gives _awesome_ hugs.”

“Squeezing things _is_ kind of the snake’s specialty.” Lena smiled. “The rabbit is too forgiving, though.”

“Nope. The rabbit is exactly the right amount of forgiving. The snake is too mean itself. The bat never taught the snake to love itself.”

It was a very astute observation given the clumsy metaphor they were using. “But now,” Webby continued excitedly, “now the snake has a… a loving hummingbird family.”

“Where do _you_ see any hummingbirds?” Lena teased. There was only one, about three feet away and definitely pretending to sleep now, but Webby ignored that.

“They’re there. And they’re with the snake, and they love the snake a lot. And so does the rabbit. So the snake has to learn to love itself, too.”

They laid in silence for a moment, staring at the shapeless stars. “Maybe it will,” Lena said. “Maybe it’s working on it.”

Webby smiled, rolling to wrap her arms around Lena’s waist and hugging her tight. “Good. The snake deserves it.”

They fell asleep like that, Lena’s hand resting on Webby’s back. The ambient noises of the forest around them echoed for a moment before Dewey said, “That was a _terrible_ story.”


	5. You're Good Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violet gives Lena a pep talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God this is so short I'm sorry

Violet looked up from her book, watching her sister pace.

“Are you going to pace until Webigail gets here? Because you’re ready about two hours early and you might wear a hole in the floor.”

“You’re not helping,” Lena said tensely, bouncing anxiously, twisting her bracelet.

“Am I supposed to be?”

“ _Violet_.” Lena sounded absolutely desperate.

“You may want to talk to Papa if you’re looking for emotional support,” Violet pointed out. “That’s not exactly my department.”

“And listen to Indy go off the deep end about _his baby’s first date_ again? Pass.”

“Then… what can I do for you?”

Lena stopped, opened her mouth, closed her mouth, looked around, then sighed. “I don’t _know_. Tell me everything is fine? Tell me this is going to go great and I’m not about to totally screw up the first and best friendship I’ve ever had?”

“I can’t promise anything for sure, I have yet to decipher any spells for precognition—”

“Violet, you’re killing me.”

“You’re being dramatic.” Violet sighed. She was used to her sister being a little over the top, but honestly, this was a lot even for her. “I’ve been saying for four years that Webigail is in love with you. The only thing that might surprise me about tonight will be if Magica de Spell does not try to crash the date.”

“If she shows up, I’m blaming you.”

“My mentioning her does not increase or decrease the likeliness of her appearing,” Violet said bluntly. “ _You_ are overreacting.”

“I—!”

Lena stopped again, blowing out a long breath and running her fingers through her hair. She was fidgeting and anxious, which made it harder to talk to her. Violet had learned to let her simply talk through her emotions and eventually come to conclusions on her own.

“Yeah.” There it was, Violet thought proudly. “I just… it’s Webby.”

“Yes, it is. We’ve established that.”

“She’s… important.” That was an understatement. “If I mess things up…”

“You won’t mess things up,” VIolet assured her.

“How do you know that?”

“Because it’s Webigail, and you can do no wrong,” Violet said patiently. “She cares very deeply for you, and short of murdering someone, I don’t think there’s much you can do to ever change that opinion. And even then, it depends on who you murder. I can think of several people whose bodies she would help you hide. That would probably be an interesting second date.”

“I’m not murdering anyone between now and any possible second date.”

“That you know of.”

“...Fair,” Lena relented, _finally_ collapsing onto Violet’s bed and falling back to stare at the ceiling. “I don’t want to screw this up, Vi.”

“You’ve already pretty solidly established a relationship with Webigail,” Violet reminded her. “And you’ve proven that you deeply care for each other. While I don’t necessarily understand adding a romantic element, I doubt that the addition of one will significantly affect the relationship you already have.”

“I _guess_ ,” Lena muttered, covering her face. “I just… what if she starts spending more time with me and thinks… I dunno, maybe I’m not… not…”

“Good enough?” Violet supplied quietly. Lena was far better off than she had been four years ago when her aunt had used that weird helmet to invade Lena’s dreams and break down her mental defenses, but she still had her moments of vulnerability. The times when she thought people were going to give up, throw her away, realize she was worthless…

Lena didn’t answer. But she didn’t really have to. Violet could read her like an open book. “You’re good enough for Webigail. You’re good enough for anyone, for everyone. And I know you won’t tell her you’re feeling any of this, but if were to do so, she would be more than happy to do whatever she has to do prove it.”

Again, no answer. Violet opened her book again, letting Lena gather her thoughts. They only had five minutes before the doorbell rang, however, and a moment later Ty called, “Lena, Webby’s here.”

Violet checked her alarm clock. “Only an hour and a half early,” she said, impressed. Lena jumped up, quickly smoothing her outfit and running her fingers through her hair.

“How do I look?”

“Like you put on a nice shirt and made your pink stripe a little brighter than usual because you know it’s Webigail’s favorite color.”

Lena glared at her. “Useful,” she said flatly, but her expression softened after a moment. “Thanks, Vi.”

“Of course.” She smiled gently. “Better get going. Being late doesn’t make a good first impression.”

The date went as well as anyone could have expected it to go, considering it involved a young witch and the niece of Scrooge McDuck. The only miracle was that Magica did not, in fact, show up.

The Beagle Boys tried to rob the arcade they went to, which was extremely poor timing on their part.


End file.
